G7 leaders vow to abandon fossil fuels by mid century

Leaders of the world’s economically strongest nations committed to phasing out fossil fuels by 2050 in a bid to keep global warming below the critical 2 °C threshold.

The commitment, made yesterday at a G7 summit in Germany, is believed to raise chances of the world to renegotiate the UN climate deal at a conference in Paris later this year.

After two-day negotiations led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the world’s leaders agreed to develop long-term low-carbon strategies and abandon fossil fuels by the end of the century.

"We commit to doing our part to achieve a low-carbon global economy in the long-term, including developing and deploying innovative technologies striving for a transformation of the energy sectors by 2050," the communique read.

The G7 leaders have not agreed on any immediate collective targets to reduce greenhouse gases, an action pressed by the European Union, but expressed confidence the UN climate summit in Paris later this year will reach a legal deal including binding rules to mitigate the climate change.

The leaders invited other countries to join them in their drive, saying they would accelerate access to renewable energy in Africa and intensify their support for vulnerable countries' own efforts to manage climate change.

Green lobby groups, usually critical of the developed world’s actions on climate change, welcomed the announcement.